Poetry from Dibyangana

Before the Final March

Dear Love,

The stars shine too brightly here tonight—

just like they did the night we met.

The sky is calm, almost too calm,

as if it’s holding its breath for the storm to barge in.

And yet I lie here in the open,

savouring the silence for the first… and maybe the last time,

wishing you were beside me.

Life never seemed so precious until today.

We received word—we might not win.

Still, I promise you:

we’ll give it our all, even if it means giving up our lives.

And yet, the air doesn’t feel heavy.

Maybe it’s because I’m too light.

I may not live to see tomorrow’s night.

So, forgive me for spending every last precious second thinking of you—

so close in my heart, yet so far in reach.

Are you awake now?

Are you under the same sky,

looking at the stars the way I’m looking through them—searching for you?

I wish I’d memorized you better.

Your soft brown waves, how they used to fall across your eyes,

the way your laughter lingered on your lips after I kissed you—

those are the only things I’ll carry with me,

beyond the end.

Funny how I’ve bled in battle,

but nothing hurts like bleeding on paper.

But this—this letter—is my soul, laid bare for you.

Be strong, my darling.

Even when I’m gone, I’ll live in these folded lines,

watching from the stars,

guarding your smile.

It’s raining now.

Does time ever feel guilty for all it steals from us?

Maybe even the sky wants me to say goodbye.

If there is a life after this,

I’ll find you—I promise.

And I’ll spend forever making up for this stolen time.

Take care of my better half—

I’m leaving it with you.

I will always be close.

Always.

Adieu, love.

The tears that stain this page—

they are the only ones I’ve ever shed.

Not from sorrow…

but from joy—

that I had you, even if only for a fleeting moment.

Yours always,

One Man Army

The Girl Who Never Died

The grey sky wept louder than any crowds ever could.

A blackened coffin lay still beneath the withering roses.

No one mourns her but silence itself — the only one who ever knew her.

I stand by the grave, a stranger in my own story.

The girl in the coffin looks like me — only softer, calmer, stilled.

A shroud of sorrow, regrets, and betrayals hugs her tight.

I weep without tears — trust me, she’s done it all her life.

Her eulogy speaks of dreams made of broken, bloodied wings.

How do you mourn someone who still breathes beneath your skin?

She never asked for much — only to be seen, loved, and understood.

In return, she gave it all: her softest heart, its steady beats made of trust,

hope, empathy, and so much more.

But they cracked her open like porcelain —

her shattered pieces bled until there was no more.

Yet her smile never faltered…

until the world quietly erased it too.

So I bury her with every ‘sorry’ I never received.

I know she forgave — until she forgot herself completely.

Her eyes remain open wide with trust.

Mine — hollow.

I reach for my past self’s hand — one last time,

as a flower blooms, sealing wounds that once gaped wide.

The Earth closes above her… and I open within.

She died unknown, unheard —

but I rise from her ashes, stronger than ever.

“I won’t forget you,

but I will not become you again.

Rest now, far from pain.”

That’s all I say,

before I walk away.

Where Silence Begins

The days slipped by—slowly, steadily,

like raindrops tracing forgotten paths down a glass,

and all I could do was watch.

Time, silent and sharp as frost,

unfurled its shadowed wings,

stealing all I held close—

moments, faces, laughter lost to wind—

until nothing remained

but this hollow ache.

Empty.

Alone.

Afraid.

I don’t fight anymore.

I am tired—bone-deep, soul-worn tired.

Weary, like the moon, hollowed by sleepless nights.

Maybe…

it’s time for rest.

Not sleep, but something softer—

eternal, gentle rest.

So—adieu, my dearests, my darlings.

This is not where the story ends.

We will meet again,

somewhere beyond the bend of time,

where stardust sings and silence cradles the broken whole.

But for now,

I must go.

Time beckons like a tide that will not wait.

Let not your tears fall for me—

they ache deeper than you know,

like salt on an open wound.

As I sail toward the golden light,

a hush fills the sky.

I turn for one last glance—

the world a blur through tear-stained lashes—

and bless them

with all I have left—

and more.

“Goodbye,” I whisper,

as my hand slips from theirs…

And I drift—

not falling, not flying—

just fading,

into the abyss.

Unknown.

Unspoken.

Unheard.

But never… unloved.

Poetry from Mykyta Ryzhykh

***
The cut-throat tale drowns me in blood
A sweet heart gives me a heart attack
My favorite eyes blind me
The future pushes me away
And only the snow supporting cool
Of me

***
The bombs instead of thunder crossed three times as if they had metal fingers. Angels learn to cry. The rain is learning to drip. I teach my thoughts to sleep and flow like water. I teach my saliva to flow. I’m learning to rain. I’m learning to cross my fingers every time someone dies. My dreams for a nuclear bomb to explode inside me without pain are not feasible. Instead of me, other people who want to live are dying. I am learning to live. I am learning to die. I teach life. I teach death. I teach. I’m studying. I can’t do anything. I don’t know. The angels hit the wrong buttons with their tears and it rains nuclear bombs. My heart stops and the hair on my head freezes in admiration. Groin hair no longer grows. Thoughts no longer grow. I dream that my lover fucked me so hard as if a nuclear bomb exploded in my anus. Teach me to love. I’m learning to die of love. Why am I not able to live with love? My eyes are cloudy. I teach my eyes to see. My eyes are learning to read the gazes of lovers who are no more. I count the trees that are no more. I look at the stones that used to be houses. I am learning the word no. I teach death. I study death. Angels drool and I drink this drool like nectar. The water is tainted with anger. The stone is again a ruin. The stone learns to be silent again. The stone will remain silent until the very end, but then it will be too late. I’m learning to drown myself in peace. I teach stones to be silent. I am learning to be a rock. I am learning to drown. I can heat up. I’m already at the bottom. The water screams everything in the language of dead birds. I swallow sperm in the hope that this is the filling of a bomb. I swallow pills in hope. I teach nuclear bombs to sleep.

***
The bomb didn’t kill you.
Why didn’t it?

I pretend to still love you.
Why?

Happy cards fill my mailbox again.
What’s that for?

Winter is counting down the new year again.
For whom?

***
What to feed the silence with?

My stomach rumbles without your moans
My sperm is empty without your hole
My head bursts like a watermelon
My name is ripped off my passport

[I’ve got your cocaine name scratched into my veins
Oahhh!]

A lonely room turns into a sunken boat
A cemetery crawls out from under the bed
A blanket hides the gray hair that hasn’t appeared yet

Silence is fed with old age that still not come

***
No one is born in a cemetery but I’d like to die in a maternity ward waiting for something new. No one else will be born after me. No one will see the new birth through my eyes. No one will die after I die (at least I won’t see anything else). After I die, I will stop being afraid of death. I will also stop being afraid of life, because life is a slow death. My gills will grow back in the morgue. I’ll turn into a fish and breathe glass emptiness. I’ll be cut into pieces. But who will eat me? Silence. No one asks the fish anything. Night. The fish won’t tell anyone anything. The cast iron board will slowly cover eyes. The fish will float downstream. We are all drowned. We’re all lil’ drowners who’ve overcome the fear of swimming outside the mother’s belly. The cosmos outside the mother’s belly is silent. Space is also a liquid. Space is also a fish. Everything flows. We all flow out. We will never meet each other again. We’ll never find self again. We’ll never press your random button, God. A bird with a beak overflowing with fluid sings softly. Death gives birth to a nothingness. A tree gives birth to a flower.

Poet Eva Petropoulou Lianou interviews poet S. Afrose

S Afrose (Sabiha Afrose) from Bangladesh. She is a lover of poetry. Her journey started in August 2020. Gradually it’s turned into her passion. She has achieved many awards as tokens of love.


She has published so many poetry books, all available on Amazon Worldwide and other sites. Her YouTube channel is S Afrose *Muse of Writes* and her Facebook page is Muse of Words by S Afrose.

Her email is sabihapoetryparadise24@gmail.comsabiha_pharma@yahoo.com

1. Please share your thoughts about the future of literature


The universe is vulnerable. We can’t get the right way. We feel hopeless once. But that’s not the option to move on. Then???

Look at there, the field of literary world. It’s amazing and beautiful. Anyone can get the soothing ray and the expressed way of the hidden mind. There are so many unspoken words. We can easily share this with the aesthetic aroma of the literary world. Don’t believe????

Let’s make a clear picture.  War and war! It’s making the vulnerable and devastated platform overall. What can anyone see or say???
Nothing is in general.

That’s not. We need to aware the people around the world. People only want peace. No more violent arts.

Pls! Stop this war.
Message spreads as the flying saucers. People can know the genuine thoughts at a time. That’s how, the Literature helps.
So, we have to reserve this amazing and magical method after all.

Literature world will be the good messenger to hold all things, without any sort of restrictions; with its artistic essence around the universe.

WHEN DID YOU START WRITING?
***************************

During the time of COVID-19, the total environmental state of the universe was distracted and too much pressurized. The vulnerable time acted as a fume for my journey in the Literature World. I started my work slowly on the online platform. But my love for the literary field was from my childhood.
I love to read poetry and short stories books
Specially science-fiction and detective series.

2 .The Good and the Bad.

Good and Bad- those exist as the dearest peers who fight with each other.

Good: Always shows love. Offers hand of friendship to all.
Spreads the message of heart with love and respect.

Bad: Always comes with a devil’s mirth. Enjoys destroying every beautiful part of the earth. The world should be the hell, without the essence of love and respect.

Oh no!
How pathetic!

Ridiculous this time. The global warming is upright. The ecosystem is falling down.
Early morning losing its beauty. So sad!
Universe is vulnerable with rising power of the global greed.
That’s why, only fighting with power, War, killing people, destroy environment beauty,  technology rampant,,,overall, losing the beautiful paradise by the human greed always.

Good cries and sleeping into a desert.

Bad smiles and enjoying its era with the Demoniors’ mart.

WHO IS WINNING IN NOW-A-DAYS
***********************************
Though Bad is overlapping Good, using its penetrated news around the world,  by global platform; we can’t escape from this situation. We have to ensure that still good is enough for resurrection the bad tempered souls all over.

The literary world has a wonderful power. It can show the possibility and positivity. It showers the petals of sophisticated and dreamy life.
Living beings, all are here.
People we are, have to declare for the good environment to live happily.
We want peace. Don’t spread negative newsfeed. Use your power wisely.
Your power, wisdom, enough to restore the lost rhythms of the earth. Hold the tears and spread and angelic fire.

Definitely good will survive and will hold all under the humanity umbrella,  beneath azure’s hub.

I feel like that. So, I have to use my thoughts of mind, on the pages of the literary world. The power is inevitable.

3. How many books have you written
And where can we find your books?

I have written many books both on Bangla and English, but mostly English poetry books. But there’s a short story book also.
Most of the Bangla books were published in Bangladesh 
There are 35+ published poetry books. All are available on Amazon Worldwide and also other sites as usual.

For example- Woman, The Bride,  Friendship,  A new beginning, Lion’ Roar, Lost Lotus,  Who I Am? Blood Sucker, VIBRANT THOUGHTS, A CUP OF TEA etc.

There’s my YouTube Channel: can access for the quick look at a time- S Afrose *Muse of Writes *, also Facebook page- Muse of Words by S Afrose

Recently, I am working as a part of editorial team. And my successful projects are- VIBRANT THOUGHTS,  A CUP OF TEA, HAPPY NEW YEAR etc.

4. The book. e-book or physical book-
What will be the future?

So many of us, are too busy attending to the prime artifacts of daily life, that’s why e-books are going to be a good way to help people access books and also a part of their rest.

But, paperbacks are always a better option to carry as a gift, and also the best friend for passing some good moments. It also acts as a reflection of the sweet memories. A souvenir for the family members.
Nothing can beat the essence of reading a book, holding it in the hands; turning pages one by one, marking some words as the dearest arts. The precious gem for refreshing the mind overall.


Just imagine,  on the easy chairs or midst the garden in beautiful weather, holding a cup of coffee with the dearest canvas of the words…just wow! This can’t be replaced by an e-book anyway.

5. A wish for 2025
The world is too dangerous for all the vulnerable living beings. The bombastic shimmers can’t be accepted anyway.
* No War* * No Blood*

We all want to live on a peaceful planet.
There should be love within all. Must be the bridge of friendship, wearing the crown of humanity. UNIVERSAL  PEACE – this message is the prime gist now-a-days.

If want to say something, holding the hands of literature; then I have to say that, this Literature World has such a power to spread the message of heart and mind, around the world.

Positive emissions can see. Let’s say and spread- Unspoken words with the power of ink. The universe has to understand and love this passage heartfully. Through starlights of literature,  we can make a friendly world.

A PHRASE FROM YOUR BOOK:
There’s a poetry book of mine: *No War*
I want to say some lines from this one.

“Stop grudges to protect earth for living happily & peacefully “

‘ Have a look
At each nook
When one door is closed,
Anyway will try,
Another will be here,
Hope to see the smile ‘

A poem from the book

THE FLYING BULLET

Love to hear
The lullaby
Of dear parents.

Love?
Can’t hear that song,
This time.

The flying bullet.
Believe or not,
This is not applicable for the minds.

The flying bullet
Now killing
All the people.

No!
We don’t want to see
This nasty game of the bullet.

A BOOK YOU LIKE

I love all of my books. All are my lovely creations. My best friends.  My Reflection of the Mind. So I can’t say anyone specifically. But if want to say now, then will love to share my beautiful soothing charm- A CUP OF TEA .


My dear best friends on this Literature realm have reflected their thoughts, using the magical power of quill. Love for all.
Love the Literature World. Love my dear poetry paradise.

Thank you so much!

EVA Petropoulou Lianou
Author and poet from Greece

Poetry from Lili Lang

The Hairdresser’s Daughter


My mother
Silver hearts in her ears
An apron over her black blouse
Shimmery pink gloss on her lips
With light blonde hair in waves behind her


Holds another’s life in her hands
Bleach on to long and it will never be the same
Flat iron too hot you’ll singe it right of
Cut it to short and that’s months of growth ahead
There are perils to a client and plenty of pitfalls for her hairdresser
Knowing all this I watch in awe
At the easy trust her client bestows
And the gracious elegance my mother receives it with
She is confident she’ll be happy with her hair
And my mother is confident she will make her happy
I am relieved that my job is much simpler.


Face scrubbed clean
Velcro sandals in place
Beaded play bracelet on my wrist
Hair down along my back held in place by butterfly berets
it swishes when I step


I am the sweeper
Although I have many duties as the hairdressers daughter
Fetching clean towels
Holding the mirror steady
My favorite job is getting to sweep
Dark hair recently shorn of, litters the floor
Broom in hand I shape it into a neat pile
Careful not to miss a single strand
This job is important, though discarded every piece carries weight
Each took months to grow and where painstakingly cut
Take it from the hairdressers daughter


Before we even step foot into work we prepare
My mom stands in front of the mirror making a perfect face even more perfect
I thoughtfully weigh out flower or butterfly clip
Butterfly
They have sparkles
And mom says we should try and look our best

At the salon the other stylists
Ashley
High ponytail
Christina
Black short bob
Gwen
Messy bun with a claw clip
Smile when they see me as they set up there stations
Waiting for the beautiful people to come in
Ready to make them even more so


I study the clients carefully as they walk in
What starts out as a half hearted braid shuffling in might leave as a blowout strutting out
Pin straight to a perm
The person entirely changed along with it
But it’s not just how they leave, but what takes place in the chair
That matters


Client #1 is indecisive
She has had practically every color and look under the sun yet still hasn’t found one to wear
longer than a month
Client #2 is old
She is going gray so she’s decided to dye it all silver. That’s aging in style she says
Client #3 is nervous
She has prom coming up and she wants to be perfect
Client #4 is ready
She is going for a promotion at work. She wants to look like a big business lady so maybe she’ll
feel like one


I blame it on the mirrors
You can’t stare at yourself like that for hours and not get to thinking
You can do that at a salon
think
You can count on the hairdresser to talk with if you need it
The hair sweeper to keep things clean
And that when you leave even if nothings been figured out
If nothing’s changed but the hair on your head
You’ll feel a little bit better

Ours Now


We saved the bedroom for last
We said it was because it was in the back of the house
Made sense to start in the entry
The living room
The kitchen
The bathroom
Everything but the bedroom
Anything but the bedroom
Until now
Because even now
With the rest of the house in dumpsters


I open the door
See the bed
And stop
Faded floral sheets tucked in
The white comforter smoothed out
It’s made, The beds made
That’s what’s different
It was never made before
Because she was always in it
I still expect her to be in it
It’s still expected that we
Shuffle in single file avoiding the cups of cold tea
Bunched up tissues balanced on stacks of magazines
Pushing aside odds and ends
To make a path, to the bed
Where she waits with her hand outstretched, spotted and knobbled
Her shock of white hair spread across the pillow like a halo
Drooping eyelids struggling to stay open
I can’t call her fragile
You can’t struggle for that long and be
fragile


She was buried two towns over
But that room
With the vanity now dusty
Crammed full of costume jewelry and expired cosmetics
Overflowing closet with now moth eaten wardrobe
Was her real mausoleum
It was sacrilege to even enter
But we did
We entered with trash bags and gloves and spray cleaner
All because a piece of paper said it was
Ours now
This house that I can only remember a handful of visits too

That the smell of cats and dust and age drove us out off
Was ours
Because it’s what she would have wanted


My little sister said it was haunted
I said it wasn’t
She hadn’t died here after all
She died in a bright white room that smelled of disinfectant
She died surrounded by family
That she couldn’t recognize anymore
But we cried for her anyways
I cried so hard she called me over
Voice slow and drifting
Why are you crying little girl
And that made me sob louder


When we sorted
The trash pile tripling the keep
We didn’t talk
Not when someone stared of in the distance
Or sat and cried
Because if we stopped every time
To feel the cool jade beads of a bracelet she always wore
Marvel at the birthday card we made and for some reason she still kept
Flip through the worn pages of the bible she preached
If we stopped every time the memories were too much to bear
We would never finish.


So we
Peeled away yellowed wallpaper
Pried of sunflower tiles
Pulled up the green carpet
A home turned into a gutted out house
And it was done
Except it wasn’t
Because now we would live here
No point having it sit there empty,
Right


I don’t know when it became our house
It wasn’t when we painted the walls grey
Or put in grey floors
And moved into our grey little house
I wondered if we would always be imposters
Who dared put food in the fridge
And their coats in the closet
Squatters
In a house waiting for its real owner to come back
Home

Lili Lang is 16 years old and lives in California, USA. Lili is a sugar addict who loves all things sweet and spends her time reading and plotting literary world domination. She has her head perpetually in the clouds and is a cat person at heart, or at least she would be if she wasn’t allergic. Lili is a CSSSA Alum and Writegirl Mentee. She is an LA Youth Poet Ambassador.  Her work has been previously published in Under The Madness Magazine and Girls Right The World. 

Poetry from Mahbub Alam

Middle aged South Asian man with reading glasses, short dark hair, and an orange and green and white collared shirt. He's standing in front of a lake with bushes and grass in the background.
Mahbub Alam

The Entity

Give me a love sight

I’ll give you my world

You can build your love generation

Without any brick our love castle is magnetic 

As the two exiting northern and southern hemisphere

Our emblazing heart will sleep in peace for years in grave

When we will get up again, life’s another chapter will begin.

Give me your sweet laugh 

We discover the forever green atmosphere  

The leaves swing in the breeze by the river

Life is a bond

The entity of two makes one.

People dream for making a place in Mars 

It needs force to encounter the gravitation

We go forward leaving all the wastes behind

 From one to another planet

Our blink for the same mirror 

Nothing can smash the glass to look into the broken frame.

Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh

12 June, 2025.

Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times the Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad. His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos for seven years.

Essay from Jasmina Rashidov

With the prevalence of social media and growing societal expectations, it has become increasingly common for individuals to voice their frustrations and opinions online, particularly in technologically advanced societies. While there are valid reasons for expressing dissatisfaction on such platforms, I strongly assert that this trend has both harmful consequences and meaningful benefits. On the one hand, it may increase negativity and affect mental health; on the other, it can raise public awareness and lead to quicker solutions for social problems.

One of the major consequences of this trend is the spread of negativity online, which can significantly impact individuals’ mental well-being. As more people share complaints and disappointments about their lives, it creates a cycle of emotional dissatisfaction that others are exposed to daily. This constant exposure can lead users to feel more anxious, discontent, or even inferior, especially when comparing their own lives to what they see online. Over time, such emotional stress can damage people’s mental health and reduce the overall positivity of online spaces.

Despite these downsides, public complaints on social media also offer a significant benefit: they can serve as a catalyst for change. By bringing issues such as poor infrastructure, low-quality services, or political concerns into the public eye, individuals can draw attention from government bodies, service providers, and the media. For example, in Uzbekistan, citizens often highlight poor road conditions via social platforms. In many cases, these posts go viral and prompt authorities to respond quickly. In this way, social media empowers ordinary people to contribute to community development and hold institutions accountable.

In conclusion, although venting frustrations on social media can negatively affect users’ mental health by spreading pessimism and stress, it also allows people to highlight societal problems and demand immediate action. Thus, while the trend may carry emotional risks, it plays a vital role in raising awareness and pushing for positive change.

My name is Rashidova Jasmina, daughter of Bahodir. I was born on November 23rd, 2008, in Shakhrisabz district, located in the Kashkadarya Region of Uzbekistan. I am currently a 10th-grade student at School No. 74.

Throughout my academic journey, I have proudly taken part in numerous educational grants, national seminars, and academic meetings. I am a winner of several contests and competitions dedicated to education and innovation. Notably, I was a finalist in both the “BBG” and “FO” programs, which further motivated my passion for leadership and community development.

One of my most prestigious achievements includes being awarded the “Katta Liderlar” grant, which recognizes young emerging leaders in Uzbekistan. I also had the honor of participating as a delegate representing Switzerland in a Model United Nations (MUN) conference, where I strengthened my skills in diplomacy, negotiation, and global issues.

In addition to my academic accomplishments, I run my own educational channel, where I teach and mentor students in various subjects. I am also the founder and instructor of a Pixel Art course, where I combine creativity with digital skills to inspire others in the field of design and technology.

Synchronized Chaos First June Issue 2025: Revival and Rejuvenation

Red roses growing in a pot over a gray fenced balcony on an old stone building.
Image c/o Linnaea Mallette

First, here are a few announcements.

Jeff Rasley’s released a new book, Presbyterian vs Methodist Youth Group Rumble in Pokagon Park. This is a light-hearted satire of teen life and the heightened emotions of the age.

Jacques Fleury was also invited to the Boston Public Library’s Author Showcase to show off his title You Are Enough: The Journey Towards Accepting Your Authentic Self.

The National Storytelling Championship seeks online submissions from Indian nationals living in all parts of the world.

Now for our new issue, Revival and Rejuvenation.

Elderly European couple in hats and coats and scarves seated with serious faces at teatime with a teapot and teacups on a table. Cat and houseplants and open window in the background.
Jean-Francois Raffaelli’s Afternoon Tea

Christopher Bernard celebrates the photography of urban chronicler Vivian Maier and the recent rediscovery of her work.

Gopal Lahiri’s poetry looks over varied landscapes – aging city infrastructure, a painted teatime scene, a rainstorm – with a painter’s thoughtful eye.

Wazed Abdullah draws on soft, childlike language to elegantly portray a monsoon rain in Bangladesh. Don Bormon writes in a similar style of the rain’s return in the region after a hot sunny summer. Tamoghna Dey speaks to the strength and flexibility of water as a metaphor.

Eva Petropoulou Lianou finds union with nature on her daily walk, taking inspiration from its diversity and authenticity. David Sapp’s poetry highlights our human connection to the rest of nature through musings on barns, fields, and a dead cat.

Double rainbow in a blue cloudy sky over the mostly flat English countryside, plains and trees.
Photo from Anna Langova

Chimezie Ihekuna revels in the beauty of nature and the intricate ways in which its systems work and creatures survive, but warns of its destruction. Graciela Noemi Villaverde also urges care for the natural world and highlights how natural systems can self-heal and regenerate.

Sayani Mukherjee revels in the passage of seasons in nature as Kylian Cubilla Gomez explores the hidden world of snails, centering the small mollusk in his photos. Sara Hunt-Flores reflects on the sun lighting her path, helping her distinguish illusion from reality.

Svetlana Rostova uses nature metaphors to convey the breadth and intensity of her past experiences. Mahbub Alam compares falling in love to the wonder of seeing a firefly. Shamsiya Khudoynazarova Turumnova illuminates the way love can revive a person and rejuvenate their life. Dr. Prasanna Kumar Dalai evokes memory and the ecstasy of falling in love. Mesfakus Salahin pleads with a lover to take him back as a response to his enduring feelings.

Stephen Jarrell Williams reflects on the poignancy and power of stories: those in books and those of family love and passing generations. Kassandra Aguilera’s poetry expresses love that remains despite troubled parental relationships. Bill Tope’s short story addresses a platonic and artistic friendship between a man and a woman and the tragic social disapproval that drives them apart.

Group of silhouetted people on a beach at sunset or sunrise. Yellow sky behind the clouds near the horizon, water heading out at low tide.
Image c/o Mohammed Mahmoud Hassan

Scott C. Holstad probes various sorts of physical and emotional desire. Duane Vorhees speaks to birth and death, love and war, then turns to a personal blues poem about feeling disillusioned by faith.

Gordana Saric offers up a prayer for personal compassion and global peace. Brian Barbeito shares daily musings on meaning and ethics and and speculates on our individual lives’ effects on the universe. Inayatullah encourages us all to look inward and heal our inner wounds and forgive each other in order to change the world on a larger scale.

Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa shares the hope and strength and healing she finds through her faith. K. Sayyid Mubashir Hadhi explicates the spiritual and cultural significance of Eid Al-Adha. Timothee Bordenave’s old-style pieces express his spiritual faith and desire for universal oneness. Bruce Mundhenke expresses how faith and wisdom can outlast our technologies and our inhumanity to each other. R.K. Singh calls us to ethnic and religious tolerance based on the world’s complex history and celebrates physical and spiritual love.

Dr. Jernail Singh speculates on how literature and drama, religious or not, can inspire moral development as well as catharsis, when villainy and evil are stopped. Matthew Kinlin interviews Kenneth M. Cale about the inspirations and creative process behind his book Midnight Double Feature: Director’s Cut, a stand against the growing darkness he sees in the world.

Fountain pen made of metal and wood, on a black canvas with light shining on it.
Image c/o Pixabay

Lidia Popa describes the power of writing to transmute ideas and feelings into a mode of communication from one soul to another. Haroon Rashid outlines the role of silence, observation, and empty space for thoughtful writing in his ars poetica.

Xadjiyeva Nodira studies idioms and whether the phrases can take on different meanings within the same language. Kaljanova Gulmira’s paper outlines the benefits of having a language learner “shadow” a native speaker. Shahnoza Ochildiyeva’s essay explicates the complex task of translation and how, as of now, translation requires a human being with cultural awareness.

Isabel Gomes de Diego’s photography celebrates human and natural creativity in various forms: origami, sewing, typing. Bahora Mansurova turns to the craft of medicine, discussing ways to treat periodontal diseases. Linda S. Gunther reviews Kristina McMorris’ suspense novel of the newsroom, Sold on a Monday.

Nozima Gofurova describes an educational visit to Tashkent’s Mirzo Hotel, where she learned about Central Asian art and history. Joseph Ogbonna highlights the majesty and historical influence of ancient Egyptian civilization. Maja Milojkovic’s ekphrastic work draws inspiration from the strength of ancient Herakles.

Black and white woodcut of two women cooking in a large pot on a fire. They're picking fruit from houseplants and collecting sunlight for solar power.
Sultana’s Dream, Cooking with Light, Woodcut from Chitra Ganesh

Z.I. Mahmud explores feminist speculative literature in India and the works of Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossein. Bhagirath Choudhary, in a piece translated by Eva Petropoulou Lianou, advocates for respect for women and for society to celebrate positive traits traditionally associated with the nurturing feminine.

Eva Petropoulou Lianou speaks of her intimate and demanding relationship with her female poetic muse. Isaac Dominion Aju reflects on the artistic inspiration he received from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose work helped him to find his own voice. Donna Dallas’ poetic speakers find writing inspiration from a quiet morning, a busy urban city full of desire, and the throes of drug addiction. Hauwa’u Naseer Mukhtar evokes the peace and creative source of solitude as Chloe Schoenfeld resolutely affirms her claim to her own soul.

Kelly Moyer’s asemic poetry invites us to the experience of appreciating writing and art, even without literal meaning. Ric Carfagna’s poetry touches on perception, how we experience and make sense of our world.

Loki Nounou reflects on life’s unpredictability, as S. Afrose exposes existence’s slippery nature, complex and hard to pin down and define. Utso Bhattacharyya’s short story involves an ordinary man’s visit to a surreal reality existing alongside and within our own.

Hooded bodiless figure in a graveyard at night, lit up by moonlight. Trees and foliage and a giant Celtic cross tombstone.
Image c/o Kai Stachowiak

Alex S. Johnson’s horror tale probes the insidious way oppression works not only through violence, but also through individual and social gaslighting. Mark Young’s poetry crafts off-kilter scenes where people and other creatures adjust to their settings.

J.J. Campbell turns to poignant nostalgia while experiencing slow trauma. John Angelo Camomot’s verse speaks to the grief of losing a loved one and the comfort of memories.

Sean Meggeson’s humorous tales probe our relationships with authority and failures of communication. On the theme of authority, Taylor Dibbert observes wryly that leaders who are least affected by policies are often the first to advocate for them.

Mykyta Ryzhykh’s short story depicts war as an unwelcome trespasser, refusing to communicate its intentions or ask permission to occupy someone’s basement. Ahmed Miqdad laments the suffering of civilians in Gaza while expressing hope for the region. Combat veteran Steven Croft speculates on goals for a possible return to United States military intervention in Afghanistan and hopes they will finally get girls back to school.

Sadoqat Qahramonovna To’rayeva reflects on pursuing education as a child and teen in his humble farming village. Marjona Baxtiyorovna sends out a tribute to education and graduating students.

We hope this issue is educational, inspiring, and enjoyable!